The study involved 213 people, ranging from toddlers to adults, with a median age of 11 who had severe epilepsy that did not respond to other treatments.
Participants had Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, epilepsy types that can lead to intellectual disability and lifelong seizures, as well as 10 other types of severe epilepsy.
The participants were given the drug cannabidiol, a component of marijuana that does not include the psychoactive part of the plant that creates a “high.”
The drug is a liquid taken daily by mouth. Participants all knew they were receiving the drug in the open-label study, which was designed to determine whether the drug was safe and tolerated well.
Researchers also measured the number of seizures participants had while taking the drug. For the 137 people who completed the 12-week study, the number of seizures decreased by an average of 54 percent from the beginning of the study to the end.
The drug is a liquid taken daily by mouth. Participants all knew they were receiving the drug in the open-label study, which was designed to determine whether the drug was safe and tolerated well.
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Among the 23 people with Dravet syndrome who finished the study, the number of convulsive seizures had gone down by 53 percent by the end of the study.
For the 11 people with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome who finished the study, there was a 55 percent reduction in the number of atonic seizures, which cause a sudden loss of muscle tone.
For the 11 people with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome who finished the study, there was a 55 percent reduction in the number of atonic seizures, which cause a sudden loss of muscle tone.
A total of 12 people, or 6 percent, stopped taking the drug due to side effects. Side effects that occurred in more than 10 percent of participants included drowsiness (21 percent), diarrhea (17 percent), tiredness (17 percent) and decreased appetite (16 percent).
Study author Orrin Devinsky, MD, of New York University Langone Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, said that these are early findings and larger, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials are needed to measure the effectiveness of the drug.
“So far there have been few formal studies on this marijuana extract,” Devinsky said. “These results are of great interest, especially for the children and their parents who have been searching for an answer for these debilitating seizures.”
“So far there have been few formal studies on this marijuana extract,” Devinsky said. “These results are of great interest, especially for the children and their parents who have been searching for an answer for these debilitating seizures.”
The study was supported by GW Pharmaceuticals. To read the AAN’s systematic review regarding epilepsy and brain disorders.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of 30,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care.
A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- stroke
- migraine
- multiple sclerosis
- concussion
- Parkinson’s disease
- epilepsy.
Use of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis in a small number of children with treatment- resistant epilepsy:
Sixteen (84%) of the 19 parents reported a reduction in their child's seizure frequency while taking cannabidiol-enriched cannabis. Learn more here.
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| OTHER FORMS OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA |
Of these, two (11%) reported complete seizure freedom, eight (42%) reported a greater than 80% reduction in seizure frequency, and six (32%) reported a 25-60% seizure reduction.( E. Porter, Brenda, and Catherine Jacobson)
In April 2015 the results of studies cemented the hope. More than 200 patients received at least some of the CBD treatment, with 123 receiving a full 12-week course.
Researchers said the treatment appeared to cut the number of seizures nearly in half. Participants had Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, epilepsy types that can lead to intellectual disability and lifelong seizures, as well as 10 other types of severe epilepsy. (American Academy of Neurology)
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